Crossing Bridges
by fallenbutterflies
Summary: on hold.
1. of cats and ties

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Part I, Prologue  
**_Naruto's Role_

Naruto sat at the top of the stairs and watched silently as his father slammed the library door shut. He had never seen him look so angry. He waited for a few moments, making sure he wouldn't be coming back, before going down the stairs and pressing his ear to the door.

"...and Minato came back," Naruto furrowed his brows. The voice sounded familiar. "It was only a matter of time." He heard people laughing. "Trying to hide his past was quite stupid, don't you think?"

"No one can fully escape their destiny," another voice said. "Speaking of which..." Someone close to the door cleared their throat.

"The old man hid it very well." They laughed again. Naruto wanted to leave, yet he was rooted on the spot. "But we found it. I've printed out copies, and they're coming around now."

"_'the ability to build or destroy'_?" a woman said angrily. "What_ is_ this?" Naruto shivered. He stood up quietly, staring at the imposing oak door, before running upstairs, back into his room.

* * *

**Part I, Chapter I**  
_of cats and ties._

_-  
_

Sakura

"I can't believe you're okay with this."

My mom gives me her _I'm-sure-everything-will-be-okay_ smile and I try not to scream- I refuse to be sucked in her warped version of reality. Especially right now. "This school's supposed to be haunted!"

"There's nothing to worry about, Sakura," she replies soothingly, checking her watch. "Now, take care. I've got to go. Bye!" she rolls up the car window and quickly drives off to work. I sigh in frustration, straightening up and looking at the school across the street. _Well, maybe I can just skip my first day..._I cross my arms to hide my uniform (haha) and start to walk the other way. I only got a few meters when someone grabs the back of my collar and pulls. I gasp and turn around to find a blond girl sneering.

I don't like her.

"New girl?" she asks before eying me. "Nice hair." I tug at my pink hair self-consciously.

"Thanks," I reply, trying to keep my anger in check.

"Well, I'm Ino." she motions for me to follow her into the school and I do, silently seething. As soon as we got past the gates, she turns back to me. "Welcome to Cusichi High School, more commonly called Cooshi by its students." she grabs a few stapled papers and a brochure, along with a small pocket book. "Your mom forgot to take these with her when she enrolled you, so just read this and you'll pretty much get the drift on this school. Bye then!" She walks off, leaving me with my mouth open. I grumble to myself as cram all the papers in my bag, save for one. I open the small booklet.

_Cusichi High School was named after an influential cat-lovers group-_

Um, what?

-

Naruto

I pass the ball to Sasuke and he catches it easily. Typical. He starts to dribble across the court, but Gaara quickly got the ball off of him and shoots. Score. I see Sasuke's face darken and I sigh. Gaara ignores Sasuke's glare and picks up the ball from the ground.

"Guys," Neji says from the sidelines, looking up from his laptop. "Time to go to class." That guy's so uptight, it's not funny. He has a schedule, from when he wakes up and brushes his teeth, to when he goes to the toilet (okay, maybe not, but hey, it's possible). Gaara drops the ball and we head towards school. Girls, as always, stop what they're doing to see us pass by. We can hear some of them sigh wistfully. It's kinda weird. The others might be used to it, but I'm not. I don't like being looked at like that. I mean, I like it sometimes, yeah, but I'm definitely not used to it. I enter through the school gate first to see a girl with pink hair sitting right there, reading a book.

"Hey, that's the school rules book!" I say, pointing at the book. "Who are you?"

"Sakura Haruno," Neji says as he finally catches up with me. "New. 15. Has natural pink hair. Only daughter of-"

"Okay, okay," I say, rolling my eyes. "I just asked for her name, not a report." Neji frowns. I turn to the girl, but she's gone. "Hey, where did she go?"

"Away from _you_," Neji mutters. Sasuke smirks at that. I frown. We wait for Gaara before continuing on our way to class, talking to people we know, nodding to people we don't know. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shino. He's wearing a scarf to cover half of his face, and sunglasses, because he sees better when it's dark. I walk a bit faster. That guy's weird. _I bet his dad already told him-_ I shake my head. I can't think about that, Ino might notice. I cautiously feel for her Presence-

"Sasuke!" Ino screams. Speak of the devil. "Did you miss me?" She smiles this big smile, like the bigger the smile is, the more Sasuke will want her. Sasuke merely brushes her off. She pouts, glances at me and smirks. At that moment, I know she knows. And she knows I know that she knows.

No way... Ino's way ahead of us already. I look at Sasuke and Neji, but they didn't seem to notice the exchange. I lock eyes with Gaara and he nods.

-

Sakura

I can't believe this school is named after a cat. But I guess that explains a lot. I look down at my uniform. White polo shirt under a gray jersey, black pleated skirt...and a bright red ribbon bow instead of a _tie_. Lovely.

The rules are kinda weird too. I mean, there's the 'no bullying' policy, but then there's 'under no circumstances are students allowed to bring any fish on Thursday' (rule #12), and 'students are not permitted to practice fencing in the Science department' (rule #27). This rule made me laugh though:

'Students are not allowed to burn this rule book and throw it in the front lawn in order to activate the water sprinklers.' (Rule #74)

I grin all the way to my form class, because that rule is just too funny. Or maybe it's just me, trying to cope with the new school. I decide not to go to the office, since Ino already gave me my schedule and locker number along with the Book.

"Sakura Haruno?" someone behind me asks. I turn around to find a boy with sunglasses and a scarf that's hiding half of his face. "I'm Shino Aburame. Welcome to Cusichi High School." I ignore his outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you." We stand there awkwardly for a few moments. "I should probably go inside my class now..."

"I can help you around the school," he says, his voice muffled. "This place can be...a lot to take in."

"No thanks," I reply quickly. This guy is weird. I turn around, about to go to class.

"Well, then at least let me give you one helpful advice," he says. I stop and look back. "Gaara. Stay away from him." I raise an eyebrow.

"Who's Gaara?" I ask, curious. "And why should I stay away from him?"

"You'll find out soon enough." He walks away.

-

Naruto

I try to loosen my choker, but its _way_ too tight. Stupid uniform code. I look at Gaara. He's wearing the polo, the vest, _and_ the blazer (and he has that stupid choker too), but he doesn't really care. Sasuke's not wearing his vest, and Neji, being the uptight guy that he is, made his uncle give a huge donation to the school so that he could wear a tie.

**A tie!**

I see the girl with the pink hair come in. Sakura, I think that's her name, looks around the room, and her eyes land on mine. I grin and wave. She smiles nervously and gives me a small wave too. Then her eyes land on Gaara. Her face seems to pale and she quickly looks down, sitting on the nearest seat. I look at Gaara. He's taking out his pills.

"Gaara, you alright there?" I ask, concerned. He only takes out his pills when he's aggravated. He swallows it quickly before giving me a small nod. I frown.

"Naruto," Sasuke looks at me. "Is Gaara alright?" I shrug. He stares at Gaara intently for a few moments before turning back to his seat. Neji's staring at Gaara too, and I can't help thinking that he knows something. But that's impossible; Hiashi promised it wouldn't get out. The teacher comes in and she makes Sakura introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Sakura," she says flatly, tugging at her hair. She just stands there for a few minutes, before the teacher realizes she's not going to say anything more and finally asks her sit down. I try not to laugh. She's kinda funny.

"Hi Sakura!" I yell from the back. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" She's trying not to laugh, I can tell. The teacher sighs and asks me to leave the class to 'cool down'.

I casually walk outside and shut the door quietly. Before Sakura came in, I saw her talking to Shino. What did Shino say to her?

"Naruto," I hear Shino's voice from across the empty hallway. "You called?"

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I hope this first chapter isn't too confusing? If you have any questions, please ask. Oh, and please don't try to do rule 74, haha.

* * *

**What is Naruto's role in all of this? Why is Shino so creepy? Why do they have so many rules? Why hasn't Gaara spoken yet? Wait for the next update and maybe some of your unanswered questions will be answered (:**


	2. stereotyping is not nice

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Part I, Chapter II  
**_Stereotyping isn't nice. Let's dress up instead._

-

Sakura

"Pinky, hunny!"

Do my ears deceive me? Or did someone just called me _'Pinky'_? I turn around to find Ino walking towards me.

"Uh, were you talking to me?" I ask as nicely as I can. She smiles and pushes me a little _too_ hard on the shoulders.

"Of course I am!" she giggles. "So, I just thought of something, like, awesome. You should totally hang out with me and my friends!" I try not to grimace, but she sounds sincere (underneath all that giggling)._ Still, I don't **want** to-_

But she's already dragging me to her table.

Sitting in her table is a guy sleeping (well, I hope so) and another guy whose eating his lunch like there's no tomorrow. I look at the girls giggling at the far table. Somehow, I always thought people with Ino's personality would be, uh, over _there_.

"Tsk, tsk," she says, sitting down and patting the seat next to her. I reluctantly sit down. "Stereotyping is bad, you know." I raise an eyebrow, and she just smiles. "Besides, I'm actually quite smart-" Mr Sleepyhead snorts. Ino ignores him. "Once you get to know me. Right, Chouji?" the guy who's eating nods, giving me a quick wave before continuing to eat his lunch.

"Uh, okay."

"This lazy, bum bum head here is Shikamaru," she says, pointing to Mr Sleepyhead. "He's really smart. Like, _really_ smart." she pokes him with a stick (where did she get it?) "But he just likes to sleep all day because he is LAZY." Mr Sleepyhead looks up.

"Ino oink oink, shut up," he mumbles. Ino narrows her eyes, before leaning over and smacking Mr Sleepyhead in the head. "Right, right, no using nicknames when others are present."

"Don't tell me you forgot, because you don't forget anything!" Ino screeches. Chouji stops eating and looks at me.

"Get out while you can," he mumbles, starting his stopwatch. "This can get pretty ugly."

He didn't need to tell me twice.

-

Naruto

"Ino and Shikamaru are at it again," Neji says, sliding into the seat next to Sasuke. I snicker as Shikamaru ducks from Ino's SPADE-oF-DooM. It's a shovel that she manages to keep in her pocket. The teachers just turn the other way.

"So, Gaara, what happened at Form Time?" Sasuke asks. Neji places his fork down and stares at him too. Gaara looks up from his lunch (lasagna) and shrugs.

"The new girl reminded me of someone," he states. Sasuke freezes. Neji clears his throat.

_Well, this is awkward._

"Uh," I say, trying to lighten the mood. "What are you guys dressing up as on the Halloween party?" Sasuke and Neji both shrug. We finish our lunch in silence. Just as we're about to leave, I get an idea.

"Hey, Neji," I say, grinning. "I dare you to dress up as a girl on Halloween." Sasuke chokes on his tomato and Neji starts to turn red.

"You're an idiot, Naruto," Neji says, eyes narrowing. "And no, I will _not_ dress up as a girl on Halloween." but it's too late. Sasuke's snickering, and even Gaara manages a snort. Neji turns redder.

"Don't be a chicken, Neji," I say, placing my hands behind my head. "Tell you what. If you're too scared, I'll dress up with you. We can both be girls together!" His eye is twitching.

"Fine," he says, standing up and glaring at me. "But only if Sasuke dresses up as a tomato." I start to laugh as Sasuke starts to turn pink.

"No way," he states flatly. "No. Freaking. Way." Neji smirks.

"Well, it seems there's a _sissy_ in our group," he remarks, making Sasuke clench his fist.

"Only if Gaara goes to the party as a panda," Sasuke finally says. I laugh as Gaara shrugs. Both Neji and Sasuke pale.

This should be fun.

-

Sakura

**Sakura's DIARY. No, not DAIRY, okay?**

Day 1: This school's alright. Could be worse I guess. This random Shino guy told me to stay away from someone called Gaara. Don't know who he is, but I have a feeling it might be that red-head dude who was glaring at me like I was the bane of his existence. Or something.

People here are nice. Nice but weird.

My hand is cramping BIG TIME. The teachers here are ruthless. They don't care if you're new; they make you do the work anyway. Sad.

Can't I just email these entries to you? But that would take even longer. Ugh. And I'm hopeless at touch typing. Ouch, my pen's stuck in my hand. This is** painful.**

I can't wait until I burn this stupid book, right after I show it to you. But this is what you get for getting expelled in your old school, Sakura. _Yes mom, I know._

I promise I'll try harder to stay longer at this school.

Man, that's laughable.

**Sakura's HOMEWORK. Do most at lunchtime.**

They're giving me homework on my first day. How thoughtful of them.

Science- p35. Write answers in full sentences. Questions 1-6. (note: Got up to question 4. Finish at home.)

English- Write a half-page essay on the different themes shown in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Include examples and lines from the play. (note: Read A Midsummer Night's Dream first. Buy a copy of the play since they don't have any more copies.)

Math- No homework (Pinky swear)

Health- Draw a decent looking food pyramid. (note: Just cut and paste pictures of food. I can't be bothered drawing)

Music- p15 and p16. Music theory. (note: Mom, you know I can't SING. Or play an INSTRUMENT. Why did you choose this?)

Economics- Basics of Accounting. Read p40 and do an income statement for the following businesses (found on pages 42 and 43). (note: Finished!)

**Sakura's Social Activities (Go, my little Saku!):**

School Annual Halloween Party- the school is haunted mom. And they're hosting a Halloween party. Unfortunately, it's compulsory.

**Misc. Notes:**

I like your writing mom. Truly. But are those headings necessary? Really? That 'Dairy is not the same as Diary' thing...that happened when I was 6. And that was the first and last time I got them confused!

I really like the Social Activities page. Nice addition.

Oh, and can we please negotiate about this diary thing? You know I don't like writing. Period.

-

Naruto

"Hey, Neji, does this make my butt look fat?"

I crack up as I see Neji's face turn white and then red. He eyes my orange miniskirt and matching halter top (I wanted to buy a bra so I can stuff it with tissues, but Neji looked like he was gonna explode...and we, uh, wouldn't want that).

"Change. Now." he mutters, shutting his eyes. "Looking at you is making my eyes_ bleed_."

"Oh, get over it," I say, staring at myself in the mirror. "You didn't have to do the dare, but you did. So this is all your fault." He opens his eyes to glare at me.

"_My_ fault?" he hisses. "You're the one who dared me to do this in the first place!"

"Hey!" I say, feeling hurt. "At least I'm_ doing_ this with you!" I grab a skirt and hold it up to Neji. "Try this on." He scrunches his nose.

"No."

"But it feels weird!" I explain, twirling. "You can feel the breeze-"

"Oh for the love of-!" he yells, covering his ears. "I don't need to know that!" I shrug.

"Well, whatever," I say, putting on a blond wig and checking if it looks good or not. "I bet you at the Halloween party, I can get more guys to ask me out than you." Neji smacks his head on the wall.

"Just buy those already and let's get out of here," he growls. I frown.

"But I'm not sure if I should go as a blond or a brunette yet!" I hold up the brown wig. "This hairstyle's pretty, but I'm naturally blond. Would my eyebrows look weird?"

"Please, kill me now."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! And thank you for the reviews! I love reading them!

* * *

**Why is Ino suddenly interested in being friends with Sakura? Why does Sakura have to keep a diary? Who is the person that makes Sakura remind Gaara of? Does Naruto look better in a blond or brown wig?**** Wait for the next update and maybe some of your unanswered questions will be answered (:**


	3. the halloween ghost

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Part I, Chapter III  
**_The Halloween Ghost._

_-_

Sakura

"Hey, Pinks! Over here!"

I sigh as Ino drags me (yet again) to her table. Shikamaru looks up from his nap and gives me a lazy nod and Chouji waves. Ino sits down next to me, clutching her tray.

"So, Pinks, what are you dressing up on the Halloween party tonight?" she asks, pulling apart her sandwich and eating them separately.

"Uh, I dunno- **what**?" Ino looks at me, eyebrow raised.

"The Halloween party is tonight, silly!" I gape at her, before grabbing my cell and checking the calendar.

_Oct 31: Halloween party_

"I thought it was next week!" I slump in my seat. "I don't even have a costume."

"Well, it's your fault for enrolling at this time of the year," Ino says, trying to wipe the mayonnaise off the sandwich with tissue. "This is like, the major event of the year. Some people in this place planned their costume way back in, like, the school holidays. I remember last year, the seniors sneaked in a bomb. That was EPIC." I nod my head.

"Wait- Did you just say a BOMB?" Ino laughs and waves the question off dismissively.

"It was a prank. But apparently this year, they're planning to launch a rocket!" I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, right!" Ino stares at me for a second, before smirking.

"You have no idea how possible that idea is," she says before completely ignoring me to eat her lunch.

-

Naruto

"Cooshi's Annual Halloween party is tonight guys!" a random girl says over the speaker during assembly. "I hope you've got your costumes ready! The student council has prizes for the scariest and most creative one. See you there!" The bell rings and everyone files out of the gym. Everyone's buzzing about the Halloween party. Except for Neji. And Sasuke. They look ready to kill someone.

Namely, me.

"Uzumaki," Neji growls, eye twitching. "We need to talk." He grabs my collar.

"But you pinky promised!" I whine, annoyed. "You can't break a pinky promise!" I look at Neji's face and quickly change the subject. "Did you hear that the seniors are going to-"

"Launch a rocket? Yeah." Sasuke says flatly. "They're probably just going to plant a fake bomb. Again." I chuckle.

"But your brother's a senior now, right? I bet he's planning something great!" Sasuke just shakes his head. For a second, I think he looked nervous.

"Enough chitchat," Neji says, waiting until the last few people left, leaving the hallway empty. "I can't dress up as a girl."

"But I've already got my costume! And the wig! And my mom's letting me borrow her make-up and-"

"Wait, you're mom's okay with _you_ dressing up as a girl?"

"Uh, yeah, why not? Mom's always wanted a girl. One time, mom and dad were talking about it and they ended up doing the naughty on-"

"I do NOT want to know what your parents do in their spare time," Neji interrupts, turning pink.

Wait, did I just put 'Neji' and 'pink' in the same sentence?

-

Sakura

The school apparently takes this 'Halloween' thing seriously. I stand still as some people pass by being either a dead something-or-other, a monster, a ghost, or really, really scary fairy. I thought fairies were supposed to be cute!

I'm glad I chose to be a pirate. My mom bought the costume the day before. After I screamed at the top of my lungs (in relief), I changed and drew scars to make me look _badass_. I follow the loud music and find myself in the school gym. All the windows have been boarded up with wood, there are spider cobwebs hanging_ everywhere_ and the lights they're using are orange, so it makes everyone look like a carrot. Lots of people are already dancing, some people are choosing to just sit and sip orange juice and some people are talking in huddles.

Ok, so I may be a little bit late. But awesome badass scars don't draw themselves, you know!

"Guys, girls, and everyone else in between!" Ino says into the microphone as the music stops. People cheer, jumping up and down. She smiles. "Ino here as your MC!" Someone at the front wolf whistles. Her smile widens. "Tonight, we have a whole heap of surprises for you all! But, since it's still 10:35pm-"

The gym lights turn off. Girls scream and people push each other. A thud is heard close to the stage. I grip my (fake) sword, ready to use the handle to whack anyone who invades my personal space. But the lights quickly turn back on. And on the stage is someone who looks eerily like Ino, but not really. He's a few inches taller, and wearing a black cloak with red clouds near the hem. His face is white, with fake blood that dried running down his lips.

"Welcome to Cooshi's Annual Halloween Party, yeah," he says. "I'm Deidara, your _real_ MC for tonight."

Girls scream as he flashes us a grin.

"And have we got a game for you guys."

-

Naruto

I grin as Deidara explains the hunt. I knew this Halloween party was gonna be awesome! And no bombs either!

"Uh, it's Naruto, right?" I turn around to find Sakura dressed up as a pirate. I grin. "Are you supposed to be a...girl?" I twirl around, making the skirt fly up.

"You like?" I ask slyly, sliding up to her. She sidesteps away from me, and I trip, before quickly righting myself up. "I even waxed my legs. That was painful."

"Uh, can you tell me which way the cemetery is?" she says, ignoring my comment. I raise an eyebrow.

"Aren't you gonna listen to the rules?" It's her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"You didn't look like a rule player yesterday," she says, amused. "And I'll just figure out the rules as I go. For me, it's much more fun to play games that way."

"I wouldn't call it fun," I say my words carefully. "More like-"

"Dangerous?" she finishes, her eyes bright. I nod.

"Yeah," I agree, walking her outside. "Like this school."

_And the people in it._

I can feel Deidara's eyes following us as I lead her to the cemetery.

Time to meet the Halloween ghost.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks for reading! I love reading the reviews!

* * *

**Who is the Halloween ghost? Why is there a cemetery in the school? Where are Gaara, Sasuke and Neji? Why did Sasuke look nervous at the mention of his brother? What's the 'hunt'?** **Wait for the next update and maybe some of your unanswered questions will be answered (:**


	4. of hiding and seeking?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Or Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap.

* * *

**Part I, Chapter IV  
**_of hiding and seeking...?  
_

-

Sakura

We head towards the cemetery, which, by the way, is at the back of the school. In the middle of the forest. Which is _also_ at the back of the school.

"The school thought it was better to hide the cemetery just in case," Naruto explains, grinning. "The Garden Club went wild with the idea, as you can see." I do. The trees on either side, marking the path, lean towards each other. Their branches and leaves seem to weave and knot together so tightly that it's impossible to see more than a few feet into the forest. The moon and its light are completely blocked out.

The grass look recently mowed, too.

"Keep one hand on the trees," Naruto advises. "So you don't get lost." I nod, and then we start to walk the path.

A few meters into the forest and I can't see a thing. Still I keep my hands on the trees. They were planted so close together it almost makes a wall.

_Where...are we...?_

"The hunt's starting," he whispers, almost eerily. "What do you think we're supposed to look for?" I face towards his voice.

"Something out of place in the cemetery," I answer. "Or a certain gravestone, maybe."

_What...the hell...is going...on...?_

"Is this the only entrance to the graveyard?" I ask, suddenly feeling cold.

"Nah," Naruto replies. "There are loads more. I just showed you the closest one. I think there's about 10, but I'm not too sure."

"What do you mean you're not too sure?"

_The dust...has only..._

"Certain people find the cemetery," he says quietly. "Some people never do."

"Why?"

-

Naruto

_just...begun...to form..._

"This cemetery was built for the 9 great clans," I explain. "Each path for each clan. No one knows who the last path is for, so no one ever found it."

"Then how can you be sure _that_ path even exists?" she asks. "Or that it's not _this_ one?"

_crop circles in the carpet..._

"Because this particular path is for the Namikaze," I answer.

"How do you know?" she prods on. I keep quiet. I think I've said too much, but the worst that can happen is if she finds the cemetery. And it's very unlikely that she will, because we're walking on _my_ path. Soon, she can't go any further and she'll find herself back outside the school.

"Naruto...?" she asks, her voice quiet. "You okay there?"

_sinking..._

"Just keep your hand on the trees, Sakura," I say, stopping. "I'll catch up." I hear her sigh and continue on walking. Before long, I can't hear her steps anymore.

_feeling..._

When I'm sure she's not coming back for me, I start walking. I check my watch. It's nearly eleven o'clock.

I hope I'm not late.

-

Sakura

_Spin...me around...again..._

For some strange reason, I'm back outside. And Naruto's nowhere to be seen. I see a few people milling around outside, with the same confused expression as me.

_And rub...my eyes..._

"I can't get to the cemetery. Now what?" a girl cries out, a pair of fangs jutting out of her mouth. Her fairy wings tint black with a splash of fake-blood. Her face is powdery white. She sees me staring at her and she grins, showing her fangs. "What'cha looking at, freak?"

_This can't...be happening..._

I ignore her and walk around the forest, looking for another way in, but there seems to be none apart from the one Naruto showed me. I go back and look for it again, but it's gone as well. There's only trees pressed so close together, there's no way I can squeeze in between. The crowd is getting smaller, with the people deciding to just go back to dancing.

I look up at the sky, the clouds shielding the moon. I can't seem to find any stars.

_When busy...streets...a mess...  
_

I sigh in resignation, when something catches my eye. I walk over to the edge of the forest to see a bright red rose covered in sand. I look around. There's no one outside now. I pick up the rose, carefully dusting off the sand.

"What are you doing?"

_with people would stop...to hold..._

I turn around to find Gaara, dressed up as a panda. This would have been the cutest thing I've ever seen if not for the fact that his eyes are narrowed. At me.

And that, uh, he's not the nicest person around.

"Nothing," I reply, twirling the rose, being careful of the thorns. "You?"

_Their heads...heavy..._

"Get out of my way," he says. I step back, trying not to show how nervous I am. He walks through the pile of sand and into the path that I swear wasn't there before. The trees look the same, but instead of grass, the path's covered in sand. I look at him and he's staring at me intently. I finally turn away and make my way back to the gym.

_Hide...and...seek..._

-

Naruto

I chuckle as I see Neji and Sasuke in the graveyard. Last night, I finally convinced Neji to wear something girly. He decided to go as Little Red Riding Hood. I can see he shaved his legs too. Sasuke's wearing a tomato hat. Complete with the tomato costume.

"Where's Gaara?" I ask. Ino spares me a glance before continuing her conversation with Hinata, who's dressed up as a dead fairy. Shikamaru shrugs as he rests his head on a gravestone, trying to take a nap. Chouji, Shino and Kiba are in a small circle, whispering intently about the upcoming Maths test. Finally, I spy Gaara. He has a panda hoodie and panda paws, but he doesn't seem to care.

I'm not even sure he realizes.

"What happened, dude?" I ask as I sit down on a gravestone. "You look like you saw a ghost." He glares at me and I shut up.

"Let's just get this over with," he mutters, taking off his panda gloves. His sand swirls around his feet before they catch his gloves, gently laying it on the ground.

"Damn," Ino says, standing up. "That's pretty neat, Gaara. Wish I could do that." Sasuke frowns, but he doesn't say anything. We all stand up and go in a tight circle. Sasuke takes a ribbon of a dying flame from his mouth. He blows on it, and flames spring up from his fingertips. He makes nine of them, and places them just above our heads. Shikamaru gathers up the shadows, while both Hinata and Neji checks to make sure everyone is back in the gym.

"Let's start," we say in unison. We each make different hand signs, our hands starting to glow. I'm getting anxious. I always get these signs wrong. But soon, all we can see are our hands glowing, a bright light cutting through the shadows. It seems like a long time, but no one dares to stop.

Suddenly, the flames above my head go out and everyone looks at me- some with pity, some with anticipation.

And then, everything is black.

* * *

**AN: **Thank you again for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Also, thanks for the people who put this story in their Alerts or Favorites.

* * *

**Why couldn't Sakura find Naruto's path? Why shouldn't Sakura find the cemetery? What is Deidara's part in all of this? Where are the other paths? Where's the missing path? Wait for the next update and maybe some of your unanswered questions will be answered (:**


	5. sasuke is not toma

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Part I, Chapter V  
**_Sasuke is not Toma  
_

-

Sakura

I don't know if I should stay. Everything seems to blur together and my head is starting to hurt. The music's suddenly too loud and there are so many people squashed in this small gym. I need to breathe- I need to go outside.

"Sakura, yeah?" I turn around to find the Ino look-alike grinning at me. Which, with his costume and make-up, looks freaking _scary_. I try to nod, but my head hurts.

"Er, I guess," I say instead, blinking rapidly. I consider hitting myself on the head, but decided against it. "And you are?"

"Deidara," he says, with that grin still on his face.

"Oh yeah," I say, remembering. "You said that before." Three minutes before, to be exact. But seriously? It feels like _ages_ ago. His grin seems to get wider.

"You were here for that?" he asks, eyes brightening. I stare at him intently.

"Why are you even asking?" I say after a while. He blinks.

"Huh?" he says, confused, but that grin!_ For goodness' sake, stop grinning!_ "I don't know what you're talking about, yeah." I roll my eyes.

"Of course you do," I say. People like him annoy me. "You saw me. So why act surprised?" He shrugs.

"Something to talk about," he says, staring at me out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, wanna meet my friends?" I shake my head.

"I, um, I'm waiting for Naruto," I blurt out, trying to make him go away. He looks out of the window to see the moon peeking out from the clouds and grins again.

"He'll be gone for a while, yeah."

-

Naruto

I feel like someone punched me. I groan and try to sit up. I quickly lie back down. My back hurts. A lot.

"N-Naruto?" I hear someone say. I think it's Hinata. I turn to her, crack open an eye and manage a smile.

"Sup," I say. I try to clear my throat but end up coughing. I finally manage to sit up. "Where's everyone?" She looks down to her hands.

"Uh, they...they went away," she stammers, turning red. "You were out for a while, and...you didn't Speak, so...they went back to the Halloween party. I...Are you okay?" she quickly rushes to my side and peers into my face, cheeks burning all the while. "Do you want...to go back home? I can...I can call a cab..." I shake my head and she turns redder.

"Thanks, but I'll be okay," I say, grinning. "Thanks for waiting for me, Hinata!" she gives me a small smile. She's so cute-

I can't believe I just thought that. She's Neji's cousin! He'll kill me if I even try to shake her hand!

"Do you..." she closes her eyes tightly, taking deep breaths. I wait patiently. She opens them again. "Um...Do you want to...go out...maybe?" I can tell that took a lot of effort for her to say that. She looks like she's about to faint at any moment. She waits nervously for my reply, and she goes back to her old habit of looking down and pressing her palms together.

Neji's gonna kill me.

"I...I'm sorry," she finally says, her voice too quiet. "I...It's not the...the right time...but..." I look at her and she quickly drops her gaze.

Ah, screw it.

"Sure," I finally say, standing up and offering my hand to her. "Why not?"

-

Sakura

That Deidara guy scares me. But I guess it's to be expected since it's Halloween, and in this school, scary is _everything_. Not like in my other schools where most girls would be dressed up as playboy bunnies and guys would just...go there, sometimes, even in their school uniform.

I squeeze past dead fairies, mummies, vampires (no sparkles, all blood and capes), a vampire hunter (the guy had the _coolest_ hat) and I think, all though I'm not sure...

A tomato.

I crash into it and I look up to see one of Naruto's friends. He's the one with the black hair and black eyes and that arrogant look always on his face. He's into the Halloween spirit too, since his face is paler than yesterday and there's blood (or maybe tomato?) running down his lips. He stares down at me (because, let's face it: I'm short) with scrutinizing eyes.

"Toma?" I blurt out before I can stop myself. I turn red. "Uh, sorry...it's just that..."

"It's okay," he says gruffly, his cheeks a bit red too. Gosh, Sakura, way to make him feel embarrassed. "A lot of people have been coming up to me and asking that too."

"No they haven't," I blurt out again, before turning redder. "Omigosh, sorry, I didn't mean that, it just came out, I swear I should just shut up-"

"It's okay," he says again, interrupting me. There's a hint of a smirk showing and I think I should go. I apologize again and start to walk away. "I'm Sasuke, by the way," he says, making me turn around.

"Uh, I'm Sakura," I say, feeling stupid. "But you probably knew that already."

"Yeah, you're right. I did." I roll my eyes and walk away.

Arrogance. It suits him.

-

Naruto

Hinata wants to keep everything on the down low for a while, since her cousin is the Nejster, whose protectiveness puts Hinata's own father to shame. We find Ino giggling madly right outside the forest. She sees us and her eyes brighten up.

"Oh. My. Gosh." she says, laughter subsiding. "Guess what Sakura called Sasu-kins?" I raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"She called him Toma!" I crack up laughing.

"Seriously?" I ask, imagining Sasuke's reaction to _that_. "Toma? As in-"

"Talk-ing Toma!" me and Ino sing together. "Talking-Talking Toma!" This is actually very funny. When Sasuke was little, he had this stuffed tomato toy, Talking Toma, and he wouldn't let anyone touch it, not even his older brother.

At one point, when he was six, he said that when he grows up he wants to be just like Talking Toma.

I laugh harder.

"Well, I better get back to the party," Ino says, checking her watch. She glances at me and then at Hinata, smiling. "It's a good thing you stayed with Naruto until he woke up, eh Hinata?" Hinata blushes. "Pinky promise I won't tell your cousin. Well, bye!" Ino walks away quickly, trying to give us space.

"I...I'm sorry," Hinata says, turning redder. "It's just...um...a lot to...take in..." I shrug and grin.

"No worries," I say, leading her back to the gym. "Uh, when we get back..." It's my turn to blush. "You wanna dance?" Hinata stops in her tracks and I turn around to look at her. She looks redder than Sasuke's costume, but there's a smile on her lips.

"I'd...I'd like that," she says and we walk together, a pair of blushing teenagers, back towards the gym.

* * *

**AN: **Thank you again for the reviews! You guys are awesome!

* * *

**Why is Deidara such an enigma? How did Ino quickly find out about Naruto and Hinata? Where's Neji? Where's Talking Toma now? Who was dressed up as the vampire hunter? Wait for the next update and maybe some of your unanswered questions will be answered (:**


	6. the eleven thirty magic

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto and the _Montmorency_ series by _Eleanor Updale._

* * *

**Part I, Chapter VI**_  
the 11:30 magic_

-

Sakura

"I can't wait until eleven thirty!" someone says, accidentally bumping into me. "_So _sorry- wait, you're that new girl, right?" She stops her friend and attempts a smile. It looks hideous (but, it's Halloween, that's probably what she was aiming for). "I'm Karin and this is, well, this is my friend."

"I'm Ami," the girl pipes up, completely oblivious to how Karin's treating her. Karin rolls her eyes and smirks at me, like we're sharing some sort of private joke.

"So, anyway," Karin interrupts, before Ami could say anything else. "You probably won't know, and I probably shouldn't tell you, but-"

"BUT," Ami emphasizes, eyes wide. Karin sighs.

"Can you like, _shut up_?" she says to Ami, her glasses making her eyes bigger and intensifying her glare. "I'm kinda talking, you know." Ami turns red and nods meekly. "So, _anyway_, every Halloween, they make everyone drink the spiked punch and-"

"What are you talking about, yeah?" Deidara appears by her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at him, face red.

"N-Nothing, Deidara!" She stammers. "I-I'm sorry!" she quickly drags Ami away.

"What was that?" I ask, hands on my hips. "Someone spikes the punch?" Deidara shakes his head.

"That's what she thinks," he says, glancing at the clock. "But it's not the punch, trust me. Hey, Itachi, yeah!"

"A pirate," someone says behind me. I turn around to find an older version of Sasuke, dressed as-

"Montmorency," he says, bowing. We lock gazes for a moment. "Pleasure to meet you again, Sakura."

"Same here," I say, finally forcing myself to turn away. Deidara's gone. I turn around to face him, brows furrowing. _Again?_ I haven't seen him before, I'm pretty sure.

"This party," his hand sweeps in a semi circle, his eyes never leaving mine. I know; I can _feel_ his gaze and it's creeping me out. "Is merely a form of entertainment for the Nobles, as you know." I look up at him questioningly.

"Sorry?" I ask, blinking. _Nobles? What's he on about?_ He tilts his head.

"Ah, my dear Sakura," he whispers, tilting my chin so he can look at me. Our faces are inches apart, our breaths are mingling. I can't seem to look away from his eyes. They're so black, so deep, so _empty_. His words are ringing true in my ears, even though it seems impossible. "I have returned your favor a long time ago. I hope you know that." He starts to turn away, but I grab his sleeve.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, freaking out. He raises an eyebrow.

"You know what I am talking about, Sakura. You always have." And he walks away, disappearing through the crowd and leaving me confused. The music stops and someone takes the mic.

"Is everyone having a good time?" Deidara asks. The crowd cheers. I glance at the clock: 11:29pm. Everyone is pushing and shoving. I feel people pressing close. I feel sick. 11:30pm. "Then let the fun begin!" I look around. People's fake wings seem to flutter. One girl turns to face me and her eyes are wide, pure blue, with no pupils. She smiles a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. There is the steady hum of beating wings, and before long, a colony of bats fly past.

"Get back here, you filthy bloodsuckers!" someone shouts, before a gunshot was heard. I run out of the gym. There are some dead fairies rolling on the ground, giggling like crazy, their eyes wide. Some of them are huddling in a circle, chanting something incomprehensible. Some of them are skimming the ground, twisting in the air.

All I can hear are laughter and monotonous chanting.

"I think you've kept my rose for long enough," someone says behind me. I turn around too quickly and my vision blurs. I finally make out Gaara's face. I glance down and realize that I've been holding on to his rose the whole time. I loosen my grip on the stem and shakily hand it to him. Our fingers touch.

_red and pink i have to go will you wait-_

I jump back, gasping. I look at him and he seems as confused as I am. _What was that?_ He glares at me and starts to walk away. I want to ask him what just happened, but I'm too scared to touch him. I look at my fingers.

They're still tingling.

* * *

**Part I, Epilogue  
**_Sasuke's Role_

Sasuke stood before his father, finally out of his Halloween costume. His father was quietly conversing with Itachi.

"Are you sure it's her?" his father asked, a frown marring his aristocratic face. Itachi nodded curtly. Finally, his father placed his gaze on Sasuke.

"Sasuke," he says. "I'm sure you know what you have to do?" He nodded.

"Of course, father," he says, biting the inside of his cheek so hard it drew blood. This will complicate things. But hopefully, once this is over, he won't be too late.

"Itachi," his father turned back to his eldest son. "Inform your brother of his other objectives. Now, leave, the both of you." Sasuke turned to close the door.

"The runaway has finally come back," he heard his father murmur tightly to himself. "About _bloody_ time."

* * *

**End of the Halloween arc.**

* * *

**AN:** Finished with Part I. Finally! I'm not sure how many parts there will be, but the story is not finish, so do not fret! lol. There are too many mysteries to be uncovered. Please review? It would help if you could also tell me what your favorite chapter was. So just click on the poll on my profile and let me know!

**PS:** I'm sure you're just all getting used to Naruto's point of view, but for the next part of this story, I have someone else in mind. Care to guess who it is? ;)


	7. of perverts and hormones

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Part II, Prologue**  
_Strange_

-

"Naruto, you called?"

Naruto spied Shino at the end of the hallway and grimaced. He tried not to associate with the Aburame too much, as he had a tendency to be weird and slightly frightening. But still, he needed to know what he told the Sakura. It was very unusual for Shino to be so welcoming to new students.

"What did you tell her, Shino?" Naruto asked, watching as Shino tilted his head to look through the window. "I saw you talking to her-"

"Naruto," Shino interrupted, placing his gaze back on him. "Have you met Sakura before?" Naruto shook his head. "Strange..."

"What do you mean _'strange'_?"

"I told her," Shino said, ignoring his question. "That she should stay away from your friend." Naruto frowned.

"Who? Sasuke?" he asked. "I know Sasuke can be a jerk, but he's not _that _kind of jerk."

"It's a pity you weren't raised here, Naruto," Shino said, turning to leave. "Maybe if you were, things could have been different."

Naruto froze and stared at Shino's retreating back.

Something is _definitely_ up.

* * *

**Part II, Chapter I  
**_of perverts and hormones_

**-  
**

Sakura

"Oh. My. Gosh. Wasn't the Halloween party awesome?"

"Yeah, I know! Do you think the teachers noticed the punch was spiked? Again?"

I roll my eyes at the girls walking in front of me.

"It's not the punch," Ino says, suddenly walking beside me. She's clutching a cup in one hand, taking a big gulp and sighing contentedly. She gives me a look. "_Believe_ me." I stop as I reach my locker and she leans on the one next to mine. "Oh!" she says, tilting her head and looking at my uniform. "You're still wearing that?" I look down.

"It's a uniform," I say bluntly. "So yes, I'm still wearing it." Ino laughs and covers her mouth.

"No offense," she says, gesturing at nothing in particular. "But the uniform code here is pretty slack, as you can see." A girl passes us by. She's wearing a dark gray button down jersey, a black skirt with a belt, and that ridiculous bright red ribbon bow. "We only wear the actual uniform when there's a new student or those guys that, you know, check the school and stuff." I look at her uniform. A gray shirt that slowly fades to white at the hem, a black skirt and the red bow in her hair.

"Uh, okay." I say, clicking my locker door shut. She sighs and shakes her head.

"Didn't anyone tell you?" she asks. I give her a look.

"Well, _someone_ was _supposed_ to," I say, rolling my eyes. "But she just gave me the school rules and walked off." She laughs nervously.

"Oh yeah."

-

Ino

I watch Sakura walk away. She's a good kid. A goody-good, but that's okay. I take a sip of my hot chocolate.

"Ino," Shikamaru says, sauntering up to me. I feel my muscles tighten before I can drop my cup. I sigh in relief.

"Thanks, Shika," I say as my muscles relax. I take a sip. "Whatcha doing here? You're usually over on your side of the forest." He shrugs.

"Why are you still talking to the new girl?" he asks, glancing at Sakura's retreating back.

_Is he **checking** her **out**?_

I hit Shikamaru on the head, suddenly feeling irritated.

"Ow!" he says, rubbing his head. "What did you do that-" he stops, raising an eyebrow. "Are you _jealous_, Ino oink oink?"

I wrap my arms around him and grin.

"Yeah, I'm jealous," I say leaning close. "If you go and check out other girls I might get so jealous I'll want you for myself." He shakes his head, but he has that smile on his face that makes me want to kiss him.

"That will be the day," he says almost sadly. I kiss his cheek.

_Yeah, I know._

_-  
_

Sakura

I hurry to my next class, feeling Gaara's gaze on my back. He's been following me all day. It's driving me crazy. The hallway clears up quickly, and soon it's just the two of us. He's so close he might as well be breathing on the back of my neck. I turn around to face him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I ask, annoyed. He just keeps on staring at me and I scream in frustration. "Can you stop following me?"

"Something happened during the Halloween party," he says, brow furrowing. I roll my eyes.

"It was probably just the punch," I say. He shakes his head.

"No, it's not the drinks," he says.

Like I haven't heard_ that_ one before.

"Whatever," I say, turning to walk away. He grabs my arm-

_leaves crunching i see-_

"Get away from me!" I yell, pushing him away.

"Let me touch you," he says. I turn beet red.

"Do you have any idea what you just said?" I ask. The tips of his ears start to turn red, as images probably-

"You pervert!"

-

Ino

I tell the teacher I feel sick and walk aimlessly around the school. I'm about to turn the corner when I hear Sasuke's voice.

"What am I doing here?" he asks. Someone sighs.

"You're here to help me." Naruto says. "Now, shut up so I can tell you the plan. Tell Neji you want to talk to him privately-"

"About what?"

"Will you let me finish? Okay, you want to talk to him about that project in Science-"

"I've already finished it."

"Screw you. Tell him you haven't even started and your group ditched you, which isn't a surprise since you've got that stick up your-"

"Do you really want my help?"

"Shut up. Okay, ask for his help after school. Go to your house. Waste two hours of his time so I can take Hinata out to the movies." I hear Sasuke grunt. I Peer.

_Hinata? My Hinata?_

I stifle a gasp, my stomach churning.

"Ino?" Sakura says, walking up to me. "You're not ditching class are you?" From a distance I can see Gaara with his arms crossed.

"No, not at all."

* * *

**AN: **Review? (:


	8. ino is too stubborn

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Part II, Chapter II  
**_Ino is too stubborn_

_-  
_

Sakura

"Ino, you okay?"

Ino nods, but she looks pale. Her eyes stray around the corner and I peek around to see Naruto and Sasuke huddling. Naruto looks up and grins at me. Sasuke's gaze flicks up. He sees Gaara and frowns. Naruto and Sasuke both straighten up and nod at us.

"Gaara, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asks. Gaara doesn't answer him but his glare is still in place. I see Sasuke tighten his fist.

"Uh, aren't we supposed to be in..." I whip out my schedule. "...Gym?" I start to lead the way.

"Gym's the other way," Gaara says, pointing to the opposite direction and smirking. I glare at him. How _dare_ he smirk at me when just _before_ he said- I start to turn red. Ino quirks an eyebrow at me before pulling me along to gym, her previous mood dissipating. Gaara's frown deepens and he exchanges a look with Naruto. Naruto just shrugs.

We enter the gym and this...this great big ball of _green_ charges up at me.

No way.

No. _Way._

This guy looks just like...just like...

"You look just like Lee," I say, horrified. The ball of green (actually a person, my bad) grins and it's like 4th grade. All. Over. Again.

Ugh. That smile. That jumpsuit. That _bowlcut hairdo_.

"You must be the new kid!" he says, grinning. His smile is blindingly bright. I wince, remembering. Ino nudges me as he quickly moves on to berate Sasuke and Gaara for being late.

"This is gonna be your worst nightmare," she says, grinning.

I have a feeling she's right.

-

Ino

I catch a glimpse of Naruto already inside the gym. I turn to look at the one behind me, but he's gone. Naruto grins as Sasuke and Gaara get told off. I laugh and grab Sakura's arm, telling her how to do the laps.

"See that big rope thingy?" I say, pointing at a low rope dividing the gym in half. "You have to limbo across that. Gai says it promotes flexibility, but he's just lying. He doesn't know what he's talking about half the time." Sakura laughs. "Yeah, I know right? See that one there? The one that looks like it's going to be painful to go across? Don't try to skip that one, coz he'll catch you. He has this 'no pain, no gain' motto thing going on at the moment." After I've told her where to go, where _not_ to go and where to hide during a dodge ball game (Gai really likes dodge ball games for some bizarre reason,) we start to run the laps.

"Okay people!" Gai says after we've all run around more than twice. "I hope you have your dancing shoes on! Guys, choose your partner!" I look at Sasuke, willing him to go over to me, but instead he offers his hand to Sakura, just as Gaara does the same. Sakura looks trapped. I want to help her, but it doesn't make sense. If Sasuke...If Sasuke likes Hinata, and she's already taken, then why doesn't he come to _me_?

There are boys waiting for me to take their hand but I only want his.

Wow...That sounds absolutely _lame-ish_.

Well, at least I've got Shikamaru. I turn around to look for him and I see him leading a relieved-looking Sakura, leaving both Sasuke and Gaara angry. Not to mention me. I feel sick. Why does the new girl get all the attention, especially from us? Nobody else is paying _her_ special attention.

Suddenly, I hate Sakura. I hate her _pink hair_ and _wide forehead_ and, and, _and_ I hate her for taking Shikamaru away.

I see them talking and laughing as Shikamaru teaches her how to waltz and I hate her even more.

_I might get so jealous I might want you for myself._

Damn it.

-

Sakura

"I'm sorry!"

This is probably the seventh time I've stepped on Shikamaru's feet. He winces but doesn't say anything. This is just _embarrassing_. I knew I couldn't dance, but I didn't want Shikamaru (or anyone else, for that matter) to know that. Not that I'm a klutz, in fact, I'm pretty good at sports, but for me, dancing is like...

It's like me and a fizzy drink, which is _never_ a good combination.

"Are you sure you've never waltz before?" Shikamaru asks after I've stepped on his feet a few more times. "Because it looks like you're doing this on purpose. How troublesome." I laugh, and I notice 3 people glancing at us. I clear my throat and Shikamaru does the same. I step on his foot again and he grimaces. He turns to look at Ino, who's waltzing with a boy whose name I think is Kiba. She glances at us and her glare at me is so intense I sneeze.

"I think she hates me," I whisper to Shikamaru as he leads me away _away_. "And you know what else I think- Oops, sorry. I think you like Ino." Shikamaru didn't say anything and I squeal. "You do, don't you!" I turn to look at Ino, but she's focusing on the floor. "Since when?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Are you always this nosy?" he asks instead.

"No," I reply, blushing. "Not really...Well, maybe just a little." He chuckles and I smile sheepishly. "Sorry if I'm prying." He shrugs. I lean in close. "Sorry- oops, dammit! Um, so, anyway...if you like her, then why don't you, _you know_- sorry! Why don't you go out with her?" He stares at her back before looking returning his gaze me. I feel like I've asked too much questions.

"She just doesn't like me back." I can tell there's something else he's not telling me, but I don't press the matter further.

"So...um, have you finished that Science project?" He smiles, and it's like he knows what I'm doing and he's grateful for it.

"Na, I'll just do it tomorr-m!"

"Sorry!"

-

Ino

I have never felt so angry in my whole entire life. I see Sakura and Shikamaru laughing and it's like a punch in the gut. I see her leave the gym and I pry myself out of Kiba's grasp and find Naruto, a plan forming in my head. Hinata sees me storming towards her.

"Are you...Are you alright, Ino?" she asks, softly. I smile.

"Can I talk to Naruto, for just a sec?" I ask sweetly. She nods shakily and walks over to Kiba before Gai realizes I ditched my partner. We start to waltz as I whisper my plan to Naruto. After I've finished, he shakes his head, frowning.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ino," he says. "It's too..."

"What? Awesome?" I say, eyes glinting. He shakes his head again.

"No, it's-" I glare at him.

"Naruto," I say slowly. "You_ will_ help me with this plan or Neji just might _figure _out about you and Hinata. Do you really want that, Naruto? Do you?" He sighs.

"You've watched that Bratz movie too many times," he says wearily. "Shikamaru's probably just trying to make you jealous, you know?" I shake my head, my heart thumping so loud.

"Shikamaru would _never_ do that," I mumble. Naruto raises an eyebrow.

"Why not?" I step away from him and stare at him in the eyes.

"Naruto, you** will** help me, whether you want to or not," I say firmly. "Sakura has got to go." I walk away, Naruto's question making me want to cry.

_Why not?_

I stare at Shikamaru and he glances my way. He smiles and I look down.

Because I'm too stubborn, Naruto.

I'm just too damn stubborn.

* * *

**AN:** Review? :)


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